Step into a world where pom-poms grow like flowers and curious creatures hide in rainbow scrub - artist Rosie Deacon’s Neon Bushland is bringing her vivid imagination to Bundanon next month.

Described as “a sensory delight for families and the young at heart,” Neon Bushland is an interactive installation that transforms recycled and reused materials into a whimsical landscape of colour and texture.

Using crochet, knitting, stitching, beading, painting, clay sculpting and papier-mâché, Deacon invites visitors to explore the work with their hands, and to add their own creations to the ever-growing neon environment.

“Over the last three or four years we’ve really been refining how to run these plays; how to open it up to as many people and diverse groups of people as possible, "said Renae Coles, associate producer for Bundanon’s live program.

Set among 1000 hectares of bushland overlooking the Shoalhaven River, Bundanon is much more than an art museum.

The landscape itself, from the winding drive through the trees to the valley below, is part of the experience.

“As you drive, you sort of descend through these trees down into the valley - I think there’s a bit of a shift that we’re not really in the city, we’re not rushing in and out of a museum.

"We’ve come to a really special place to have an immersive experience,” Coles said.

Visitors will find the museum embedded in the hillside, with the car park at the base of the slope and a short walk leading up to the subterranean gallery.

 “Most of this site is actually a floodplain, so they have been really limited in what spaces they can actually use to build,” Coles said. “That’s why that location has become the car park.”

Bundanon operates as a centre for creative arts and education — a place that merges art, environment, and learning.

Gifted to the Australian people in 1993 by artists Arthur and Yvonne Boyd, whose vision was to ensure the property would never become private land, but a shared space for creativity and connection to nature.

“They wanted this to be a place where people can experience nature, art, and have creative experiences themselves,” Coles said. “And that’s the vision we’re trying to fulfill right now.”

Today, Bundanon’s museum houses the Boyd family collection alongside works by mid to late 20th century and contemporary Australian artists.

It’s also home to an active artist residency program, hosting over 100 creatives each year across disciplines including dance, writing, music and visual arts. 

“We have a program where people can apply to work on their own projects, but we also bring in artists to make new work to be shown here at Bundanon,” Coles said. “So we’re very much a place where there is new, fresh creativity on show along with this amazing collection from the Boyd family.”

Sustainability remains central to that creativity. “When you’re working with contemporary artists, it’s always a concern that we’re making new things,” Coles said.

“So, we store a lot of recyclable materials here, and reuse as much as we can. Rosie’s practice really aligns with that — almost all of her materials are recycled, whether reused from her own past projects or sourced secondhand.”

Bundanon’s partnership with Deacon builds on an earlier collaboration - a workshop she led earlier this year that inspired Neon Bushland.

“We really wanted to bring in a project that was designed for families to come and have a really tactile, immersive experience,” Coles said. “That’s how she came up with Neon Bushland.”

“I had a workshop here at homestead, which was inspired by the flora and fauna as well,” Deacon said.

“I left it fairly open-ended for adults to come in, really let loose and build something fun. There were lots of gorgeous different animals made out of a range of sculpture and painting materials, which very much influenced this artwork as well.” 

Coles hopes the installation will reach beyond Bundanon’s usual audience. “We’re hoping that this might be an invitation for some non-art people here, as well as our dedicated art lovers,” she said.

“This show might bring out some new local groups and people travelling over summer.”

Neon Bushland will run from 3-18 January at the Boyd Education Centre, Bundanon.

The event is free and open to all ages.

“I hope people feel welcomed and have a sense of joy — stepping outside reality, feeling playful, and being inspired to make something of their own,” Deacon said.